| Japanese beetles, an invasive species, feed on leaves, flowers, and fruits of more than 300 different plant species. About $500 million is expended annually for Japanese beetle management in the USA. Our lab has studied many aspects of Japanese beetle biology and management over the past 25 years. |
| David Held (PhD, 2004) studied aspects of flower-feeding by Japanese beetles. Here, he used painted silk models to study beetles' color preferences. He also studied narcotic effects of geranium, which causes paralysis when beetles consume its blooms. |
| John Loughrin (Post doc, 1994-97) showed that, like sharks to a blood trail, Japanese beetles exploit feeding-induced plant volatiles as aggregation kairomones. |
| Graduate Student Derrick Hammons explains his research on Japanese beetle/green June beetle interactions on grapes at the UK Horticulture Field Day. |